The Veil Distortion
by swoonforsirius
Summary: Salazar and Hermione may have made peace with their enemies in the present, but Salazar's old enemy Godric is not content to let them have a happy ever after. Following them to the present, he attempts to corrupt one of Hermione's friends to use in his war against them and he will not stop at anything. Sequel to The Time Distortion.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hey all, this is the sequel to my fic "The Time Distortion" which can be found on my profile. The viewpoint is mainly from Hermione and Salazar but there are also a couple of chapters from Godric and his Fatali. Thanks for reading.**

Chapter 1

Thirteen months! It had been thirteen months since Salazar had pulled Godric through the veil. Thirteen months of plotting and scheming and convincing, but he was finally ready to return. He would return through the veil, distorting its purpose to fit his own scheme by opening a portal to the future in it.

Such dark magic that he would use would surely have consequences but Godric was past caring. All his life he'd lived in Salazar's shadow, been rejected for in favour of Salazar, been made to look like a fool because of Salazar. Salazar… just the name was enough to enflame his hatred and rage of the man who had escaped into the future. But he needed to calm himself for the mission; he couldn't enter the veil without being level-headed.

Standing in the centre of a large stone circle in the highlands of Scotland, the veil's original home, Godric took a potion from his deep red robes and launched it at the veil. As the potion passed through, it exploded into a deep blue mist which solidified into a heavy curtain- much thicker than the flimsy one the veil normally sported. The potion was one he had coerced Rowena into inventing by telling her that he had sensed his Fatali- his Fated One.

Walking up to the veil, Godric pulled aside the heavy curtain and peered into the darkness. With a deep breath he stepped through the veil. The darkness pressed against him from all angles, heavier and heavier, the pressure agonising. Only his hatred and determination kept him on course for the present. With a gasp he fell out of the veil and tumbled down the stone steps it was now placed upon.

Hermione Slytherin jerked awake with a start. Her dream about Gryffindor had been so real, so vivid. His anger at her Salazar was overwhelming her, coursing through her veins with a fiery passion and turning her loving memories to dust.

Her eyes flickered over to Salazar asleep next to her… it would be so easy to kill him in his sleep. Just one quick spell to abate her hatred would be all it took. But then her own memories returned, and her feelings along with them, her love for Salazar and his for her. Her fear, however, was not as easily placated.

"Sal, wake up." Hermione whispered, nudging him with her foot. He rolled towards her and opened one sleepy eye. "Sal, I think Gryffindor is here."

Salazar shot bolt upright in bed and looked around wildly.

"Not here in the castle, here in this time. I had a dream." She explained her dream to him, shaking with fear as Salazar cradled her in his arms. She pushed her memories through the Mentis Compositum, the mind-link they shared, so that he got the accompanying feelings and thoughts. When she finished, he was silent.

"Well, what does it mean?" Hermione had never known him this reluctant to share information with her, normally he wouldn't stop sharing with her.

"It means he's here, and you're not safe." He spoke in a whisper so Hermione could barely hear him, but she could tell he was scared for her. "Especially if Rowena has given him any other potions- it was always his weak point."

I'm not leaving you." Hermione knew where he was headed with this and she was determined to cut him off at the quick.

He sighed, unsurprised. "This is the first place he will come- he views Hogwarts as his, not mine."

Hermione fixed him with a steely gaze. "This is my school, and trust me I know it better than he does. As you have seen for yourself, Hogwarts has grown since your time."

"Then you'd better prepare the castle for war, because Godric will not stop until he destroys me." Salazar's voice was grave as he pulled her even closer to him.

"Why does he hate you?" It was the one question he'd always refused to answer, and it was the one question she now needed answers to.

After a moment's pause, he relented. "At its basest, he's jealous of me. I am better and potions and transfiguration than he is and the local community ask me for advice over him and they treat me with more respect. And, and this is the reason he is most bitter, he loved my wife but she viewed him as only a friend and chose me over him. He never married and he resented the son we had together."

Hermione sighed, that type of hatred would be impossible to defuse until Gryffindor moved on and found himself a woman that he loved more than he had Salazar's first wife.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: thanks for all the reviews favourites and alerts. Hope you're enjoying this sequel, feel free to message me with any suggestions. Thanks for reading. This chapter mentions Harry and Ginny's kids- so far they only have 2 and are not planning on a third.**

Chapter 2

"Holy shit! The Lion is here?" Ginny exclaimed before she could stop herself. She knew she couldn't let her admiration for a man her best friend abhorred show, but it was very hard to rein it in.

Godric Gryffindor was one of the most famous and most successful wizards in history and Ginny understood the attraction of power- it was what had attracted her to Harry. But when she'd actually seen Godric, at Salazar's trial, she had almost been breathless with his fierce beauty. The golden brown eyes were framed but harsh, chiselled features and long golden blond hair.

Given the way her best friend was now staring at her, she had missed whatever Hermione had said next. Shit. She needed to focus better.

"Err what was that, Mione?"

"Salazar is worried Godric is coming for me, apparently that's his usual M.O." Ginny tampered down a flare of jealousy. Everything always had to be about Hermione. Hermione had been allowed to hunt horcruxes with Harry; Hermione had snagged a founder as her husband…

"We'll catch him before that, don't worry Hermione." Or at least, she would capture him. He was her ultimate idol, more than Harry had been when she had first met him all those years ago. Godric was the founder of her Hogwarts house, his history was legendary and his rugged features were unparalleled. Oh yes she wanted to meet this man.

After reassuring Hermione that she would be on the lookout, but never alone, for Godric, Ginny bid her farewell and headed to Diagon Alley. As if she was going to wait for Harry to come home with Godric on the loose; she was just glad her mother had the kids.

Not seventh child of a seventh child for nothing, Ginny's magical abilities would have been recognised had she not lived in the shadow of Hermione Granger. Ginny was particularly good at picking up magical trails (a gift that would have come in handy on the horcrux hunt if she'd been taken along as well) and she soon scented a trail that tasted so foreign, she knew it must be Godric's.

She followed the trail down a side alley as she struggled to contain her tremors of excitement. He was close, she could feel it. She had just turned a corner when she was grabbed from behind and pushed roughly against the brick wall.

"Are you tracking me, little witch?" A deep voice growled in her ear. This had to be him, it had to be!

Despite her shortness of breath, her excitement increased. "Godric Gryffindor?"

He inhaled a long breath before letting out a low, sinister chuckle. "So you were tracking me. Few have that ability. Even fewer have that courage- or stupidity."

He spun her around to face him; one hand casually grabbed her throat and tightened painfully. She looked up into those hypnotic golden brown eyes that held the same fire, the same madness she kept hidden in her own.

How bad it was that his hand on her throat sent shivers of pleasure through her when there should be shivers of fear. How bad she felt that the man who was here to hurt her best friend was exciting her when no other had- not even her husband.

Thinking of Harry sent a small spike of regret through her, though nothing as severe as it should have been when she was picturing this man naked before her, under her, over her…

His nostrils flared and his eyes widened, as though he'd read her thoughts. A dangerous grin eased its way onto his face. The hand that wasn't gripping her throat reached up to cup her breast, hard. So hard it hurt. He probably meant to cause only pain but Ginny felt the pleasure of the pain, the pleasure that outweighed the pain. A rush of heat, a pooling of wetness between her thighs. Harry had never handled her this roughly, none of her previous lovers had.

She saw Godric frown at her reaction before tearing his hand away from her throat and burying it in her hair. She closed her eyes in surrender, then tore them open again as he used his grip to force her head roughly to the side. His head lowered to her neck, inhaling. He roughly licked a spot on her collarbone before biting it, hard. Once more pain and pleasure racked her body.

"Oh God," Ginny heard herself moan as her hips undulated for him.

His low chuckle echoed around her again. "That's right. Say it again." He lowered his mouth to her breasts, her robes tearing apart to give him access as he lowered his lips to her breast and bit her even harder.

"God. Oh God." Ginny cried out even as she tangled her own hand in his hair to grip him to her. That seemed to pull him out of whatever trance he was in. He snarled and tore his head from her gasp before turning around and stalking out of the alley without another word.

Ginny still leaned against the wall, her breath coming in heavy pants as she missed the sensation of him so close to her, the pleasure-pain that he had brought her.

Slowly she calmed and remembered Harry, her husband. If he ever found out about this… She would hate to see his reactions, he was very possessive of her and this would break his hard. Righting her robe, Ginny forced herself to apparate home- ironically located in Godric's Hollow now that they had decided Grimmauld Place was no place to raise to children. Harry would pick the children up on his way home from work, he always did. Meanwhile, she would try to forget what had happened early, a futile mission if she'd ever had one.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hermione stood in the main cavern of the Chamber of Secrets facing Salazar. She cast a non-verbal "protego indespectus" and then called to Sal "Go on then, try and curse me."

With their minds closed to one another they could duel properly, with no indication of how they would be attacked. Hermione knew her shield charm couldn't be sensed or seen and that Salazar would expect her to block whatever curse he aimed at her. Duelling wandlessly was a lot trickier but it meant that a spell could be cast from a direction other than from the wand.

Green flames spiralled from Salazar's general direction and Hermione visualised a tricky wand movement that she would have cast had she a wand before throwing a disarming spell at him.

She laughed as Sal was thrown to the floor until the wind was knocked out of her as his spell was absorbed by her shield. Sal stood and grinned at her. "Nice trick."

She laughed at the compliment until a circle of flames erupted around her. She tried to apparate but she couldn't. She was trapped and the flames were slowly growing closer. Desperately she cast another disarming charm but it couldn't cross the flames. Salazar's grinned widened.

Thinking fast, Hermione rotated the chamber ninety degrees to the left. The circle of flames disappeared from around her instantly. Such a large spell left her gasping for breath though and Sal took advantage of that.

Four beams of light attacked her from different directions. Her shield caught three of them but the fourth broke through the shield and hit her square in the back. It didn't have any outward effects. Unsure of what type of spell he had hit her with, Hermione sent out a stunning spell at Sal. Instead of hitting him it veered straight into the floor. She tried again with the same result.

Hermione squealed in delight even though she had just lost the duel. "You've perfected your grounding spell! And sending it at me simultaneously from four different directions? Inspired."

Salazar stalked across the chamber towards her, the duel now finished. "You moved the entire chamber around you, the whole chamber. Your strength has grown so much these last few months."

Hermione flushed at the compliment and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I have one question, though. Why didn't your first disarming spell collide with my flames?" Sal's arms banded around her waist and pulled her closer.

Hermione was thrilled that he had noticed- it was something she had tried to invent for Harry during the war. "Incorporeal casting. The spell only becomes solid when it passes through skin. The only problem is that you have to rely on the strength of your shield spell to defend you while you cast it though. Unless I can perfect multiple castings…"

Salazar's face showed honest astonishment before he chuckled and gazed at her with pride. She winked at him and he kissed her quickly before moving back across the chamber.

"Round two, with potions?" He asked as he faced her again. She nodded and began to summon her potions but before she could she felt her vision flicker and change. One moment she was looking at Salazar, the next Diagon Alley from a first floor window. She was in Godric's mind again.

Godric stared out of the window as someone silently opened the door and slid into his room. He didn't turn toward her or acknowledge her in any way- the sooner she learned her place the better. Besides, he was mulling over the fact that Slytherin and his woman were holed up in Hogwarts with no way as of yet of drawing them to him. They knew he was here- that he was certain of- but they hadn't had the courage to come out and face him. Not yet. Typical Slytherin.

A hand touched his arm and he finally turned towards the woman in his room with a cruel sneer in place. "So you've found me, witch, as I knew you would. I just didn't realise it would take you so long."

At his words, the redheaded woman cast her gaze to the floor. It had taken her four days to find him and she was ashamed, he realised. Good, that would teach her to be better and the better at magic she was, the stronger he could become. He glanced down at her body to remind himself of the fullness of her breasts and arse- and found her wearing a red and gold robe that barely covered said arse and was loosely tied. Well, she was a beautiful witch, he'd give her that.

"All my life I've admired you- The Lion, the king of beasts." Her voice was low and needy and Godric's sneer became more pronounced. She was practically begging him to fuck her. Hell, he could fuck her like an animal and he knew she would only love it, only plead for more.

The idea was tempting, but if he took this woman he would have to remember to keep his mind far from the slightest brush of hers. He didn't want to be linked to her as she would be able access his power then, as he planned to do with hers when he needed it. Before he could indulge himself though, Godric should really see if she knew anything that would be of use to him.

He turned fully towards her and ran his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes until he tightened his fist and roughly pulled at her. She let out a low moan and Godric almost chuckled. Almost.

"Slytherin's woman- do you know her?" His voice was silky, almost a caress and he knew she reacted deeply to it. She trembled in his hand.

"Yes." Her voice was a breathless gasp- similar to a cry Godric had heard time and time again as he fucked a woman.

"What are her weaknesses?" He couldn't stop his other hand from roughly cupping her breast and knew he wouldn't be able to stop short of sex tonight. She would be his.

"Her friends- Harry Potter and Ron Weasley." Her hands ran over his body as she talked and he didn't mind that. It aroused him to the point of pain, just as he liked.

"Good." Tomorrow he would investigate this, but tonight his patience had run out. "Now be a good witch and get on your knees." She obeyed instantly.

Hermione was suddenly herself again. She was lying on the floor with a pounding ache in her head which was second only to the arousal between her legs. She was moments away from orgasm.

She grabbed an anxious Salazar who was kneeling next to her and rolled him over so she straddled him. She didn't care that she hated him- that would fade the longer she was out of Godric's head. All she needed was release.

She moaned as she rocked against his hard cock through their clothes but it wasn't enough. Grabbing his hands she led one to her breast and the other through the parting in her robe and down into her knickers. He needed no further encouragement.

She closed her eyes so that she didn't have to see his face as the remains of Godric's hatred for him burned her veins. She was on fire and she was close so close. She should be running her hands all over his body but the idea still held revulsion to her. Next time, she promised herself. Next time it would be all about Salazar.

His hands worked their magic on her quickly. On hand pinching and rolling her painfully sensitive nipple and the other teasing her clit and pressing insistently into her. Oh, God. She was so close, so close. And then she was there, crying out "oh, God" as she collapsed against Salazar's chest before rolling aside to relieve the ache in her knees that now outweighed the ache in her head.

A minute passed. Two. Finally her breathing calmed enough and she turned back to Sal, noticing with relief that all of Godric's hatred had left her. Her gaze fell to his still hardened cock and she realised that he hadn't finished. Of course he hadn't, she reminded herself, she had barely touched him.

"Need a hand with that?" Hermione sidled closer to Salazar and let her hands inch down his chest towards his cock. He grabbed her hand and moved it off of his chest.

"I'd rather you didn't." His voice was cold and he stood quickly and turned from her. He started to walk out of the chamber, without glancing back at her.

Hermione felt cold but she knew he didn't want to talk to her. There was one thing she needed to tell him, however. She needed to tell him of her friend's deep betrayal, a betrayal that was only now beginning to register in her mind. Ginny…

"Ginny betrayed us to Godric. He's going to go after Harry and Ron to get to me." She called after him but he didn't turn, didn't even pause. Hermione curled up into a ball and cried. Cried that her friend had hurt her, and cried that she had hurt Salazar.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: sorry it's taken so long for an update but I've been swamped. Cheers for reading.**

Chapter 4

She allowed herself thirty minutes of down-time before deciding she had to act. Sal was mad at her, yes, but this was war and there was no half time break.

Hermione pulled herself of the floor and conjured a tight t-shirt and loose combat pants. Salazar might not want to be around her but she could still do something useful. With more power than she had ever felt, Hermione summoned a binding potion from her stores and apparated to Godric's Hollow. She knocked on the Potter's front door.

When Harry opened it, she invited herself in. "Where's Ginny?" She tried for a casual tone but it came out harsh and demanding.

Harry's shoulders slumped. "I don't know. I've just gotten home from work and Molly has the kids. She hasn't heard from Ginny since this morning when she dropped them off. What's wrong Hermione?"

"Ginny is… working with Godric. She's betrayed me and I need to find her." Hermione couldn't tell Harry how involved with Godric Ginny was but she could make him aware of some of her betrayal.

"She wouldn't-" Hermione's steely glare cut him off. She knew he'd accept it eventually, he had to. But for now Hermione was convinced Ginny wasn't home.

She apparated upstairs to Harry and Ginny's bedroom and threw open the wardrobe doors. She heard Harry burst through the door behind her but she had already discovered what she needed to know: all of Ginny's clothes were gone from the wardrobe.

Harry gasped out behind her but Hermione had already apparated from the room. Diagon Alley, the place she had seen Ginny in the vision. That had been hours ago yes, but it was the only lead she had. She burst into the Leaky Cauldron and stormed upstairs. Room four; she threw the door open and stormed inside.

Ginny lay naked on top of the ornate four poster bed. She turned as the door bounced off the wall and met Hermione's furious gaze. Hermione registered the terrified look on Ginny's face before she threw the potion at her.

A blue mist wrapped itself around Ginny who shrieked in response. When the mist cleared Ginny's wrists were cuffed together with an electric blue thread. Hermione conjured a robe to cover her naked form before hauling her to her feet by her hair.

"Where is Godric, you bitch? And don't deny it, I know you were together." Hermione's voice was so cold she barely recognised it but Ginny responded.

"He left, alright? He left about an hour ago." Ginny's voice was trembling and scared, Hermione almost softened towards her. Almost.

"Where did he go? Oh, screw this." Hermione dived into Ginny's mind, much the way Snape used to do to Harry. She sifted through the memories of their time together until she found the moments leading up to Godric's departure. Ginny had no idea, no bloody clue where he had gone.

"If I were you, I wouldn't even think about going home tonight. If you do I'll make sure you never cast a spell again." With that, Hermione apparated out of the room and back to the Chamber of Secrets.

Salazar was back and Hermione almost apparated on top of him. As it was, she ended up sprawled on the rug. She pulled herself slowly to her feet.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for saying 'God' and I'm sorry that I couldn't let go of his hatred when I was with you." Hermione spoke softly but her pride would not allow her to beg him to accept the apology.

Salazar nodded. "I shouldn't have stormed out. I just needed some time to calm down and think."

Hermione moved to the potion cabinet. "I went to see Ginny. She's Godric's fatali- I could smell it on her. And they've consummated so he has access to her powers now." Hermione took out another blue potion and stored it in her robes. "I used a binding potion on her. If Godric tries to use her powers it will neutralise them both for six hours."

"Good. That's good." Salazar seemed distracted, Hermione thought as she watched him pace restlessly around the room.

"Sal, what's wrong?" Hermione reached out and placed her hand on his arm. She took it as a good sign that he didn't flinch from her touch.

He turned to face her. "Hermione, I've been thinking about how we can solve this permanently. And I think the only way I can ensure Godric never comes back here is to go back home with him. If I am back there in the past with him, he'll have no reason to return here."

He was serious, Hermione realised with a jolt. He was going to leave her and travel back to the past. After everything they'd been through… And she knew that look on his face; it was a look that said he couldn't be convinced otherwise. As long as Godric was a threat, Salazar would escort him home and make sure he never attempted anything of the sort again. Hermione stood in the Chamber of Secrets silently, her heart breaking.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Godric arrived back at the Leaky Cauldron an mere seven hours after he had left. He had intended to make her wait longer for his return, yet he felt himself craving her and saw no reason to deny himself.

She was still sprawled naked on the bed when he returned although she had pulled the covers around herself and was now sleeping.

He stared at her critically while she slept but could find no complaint with her. Her hair was a flaming red- his favourite colour. Her breasts were full and plump and her stomach slightly rounded. She was feminine and he liked that as he did not see the attraction of women so thin their bones were prominent. Her skin was pale and scattered with freckles, again as he liked it. It was almost as if she had been designed for him alone. Of course she was, he reminded himself, she was his fatali.

He walked towards the bed but froze when he saw a blue ribbon wound around her wrists. This must be Slytherin magic and he was betting it was the woman's. Unconcerned with waking the witch, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling it roughly towards him. She woke with a yelp of pain which he ignored.

"What is this?" He barked at her. It would be some form of sneaky magic no doubt.

"I don't know. Hermione did it, she knows about us." Ginny's voice shook so much he was barely able to catch the words. Frustrated at his witch's incompetence, his opened the mind-link they shared and threw himself into her memories.

He watched the encounter between his witch and Salazar's wondering at her resemblance to Salazar's dead wife- the one who had started this hatred. The witch seemed to be even more frustrating than Salazar though, because Godric still had no idea what magic she had performed. The smart bitch had probably used a potion instead of a spell for that very reason.

With a frustrated roar, Godric grabbed the thin ribbon and pulled but he could not snap it. His witch cried out in pain again. He stopped, throwing her a disgusted look.

"What is your name, witch?" The question slipped out before he even realised he had a desire to know. She looked offended at the question, but he didn't care.

"Ginny P-Weasley" she bit out angrily. He mulled it over and decided he didn't like the name. He hoped it was a shortened version.

"What is your proper name?"

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Ginevra."

"Well, Ginevra, that witch was right about one thing: you will not be returning to your husband anytime soon." Godric hadn't yet decided if he wanted to keep her, but he was definitely not through with her just yet. And, he admitted to himself, he detested the idea of her sharing her bed with any other man- Godric Gryffindor did not share.

Ginevra nodded enthusiastically and he curled up a lip in derision. She was pathetically taken by him and he knew she would agree to anything he proposed.

He grabbed her wrist again and reached out with his magic to untie the ribbon. The knot unwound itself and the ribbon slid gracefully to the floor but Godric felt himself paralysed. He suddenly felt hollow and knew his magic had been drained. Ginevra's expression mimicked his own and he knew hers had been drained as well. They were powerless.

Fear and panic overran his anger and he grabbed Ginevra roughly by the arm. "Pack quickly, we have to run."

His heart beat pounded in his head as he threw his meagre possessions into a trunk. Where could he go? Slytherin had control of the castle so that left only one place.

"We have to go to Godric's Hollow."

His witches face drained of the little colour it had and she stopped packing instantly. He thought he heard her softly whisper "we can't" but he ignored her and grabbed her roughly by the arm again. Without allowing her to finish packing, he apparated them into the church yard of Godric's Hollow.

He led her through the church and down into the crypt beyond. Salazar may have his Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts, but his was much more discreetly placed. A large expanse of plain, unremarkable wall was his destination. He withdrew a small knife from his pocket and cut his hand, smearing the blood across the wall in an intricate pattern. The wall shimmered before disappearing, only to reappear once he and his witch had crossed the threshold.

The main room of his lair consisted of an ostentatiously large fireplace and four-poster bed. He headed for the bed, dragging the redhead with him. He pushed her roughly on to the foot of the bed and ordered her to change into her night wear. As she did so, he lit a fire before doing the same.

He couldn't conceal a gasp as he turned towards her and saw angry red marks on her arm. He had done that to her. Was it guilt he felt as he stared at them unable to take his eyes away? Surely not, he thought uneasily, he had never felt guilty about anything. He was Godric Gryffindor and all others were beneath him.

Uncomfortable with his stare, his witch slid under the bed covers. But he could still picture them, in his mind. The angry red marks were sure to leave behind large bruises on his witch's skin. He tried to assure himself that he was only concerned because it detracted from her beauty but he couldn't convince himself. This was guilt, and he did not like feeling it.

"I'm sorry about your arm." He hadn't meant to apologise to her but couldn't stop himself. It was the first apology he had ever uttered and if he expected it to take away his guilt he was mistaken. It did, however, seem to offer some comfort to Ginevra.

"It's fine. I've had worse." Her voice was warm and as he slid into the bed next to her he had to remind himself to keep a distance between them. Godric Gryffindor did not cuddle up to any witch in bed- this was the first time he had permitted one to sleep next to him.

He didn't want to picture her with worse wounds, he realised with a frown, because he might feel inclined to severely hurt anyone who had hurt her.

He closed his eyes and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Salazar slid out of the bed quietly, determined not to wake Hermione. They had searched for Gryffindor yesterday but couldn't find a trace of him. But Salazar knew where he was now. Ever since Hermione's last vision, Salazar hadn't slept. He had discovered that he could intercept the visions from Hermione if he was awake and this last one had told him exactly what he needed to know.

The bastard was on his way to Hogwarts and Salazar knew that it was almost time to face him. The grounds would be the ideal place- he didn't want to risk damaging the castle after Hermione had told him how long it took to undo Voldemort's destruction. He pulled on a pair of black pants and black robes which he left open and apparated to the lakeside. Gryffindor would be here soon.

Waiting was hard. If Salazar managed to subdue Gryffindor, he would be heading back to the past. He should be thrilled to be heading home but there was a deep ache in his chest. His life was here now but he couldn't risk Hermione's safety. She was too important to him for that.

A dark figure approached in the dawn light. The light bounced off his blond hair, making it seem as if he had a halo. Salazar scoffed at the thought. There was nothing angelic about this devil. Salazar guarded his mind carefully as they faced each other.

"Slytherin." Godric's cold voice called out. "You didn't bring your bitch along for the show?"

Salazar growled low in his throat. This was why he had to go back. "Leave her out of this, Gryffindor."

"I don't think I will. After I'm done with you I think I'll track her down and kill her. Or fuck her, either is fine with me." A repugnant sneer lit up Godric's face.

Before he could respond, Salazar felt a crushing pressure around his heart. He threw it off and sent a bolt of electricity at Gryffindor and reached into his robes. His heart dropped as he realised that he had left his potions in the castle and he would have to fight without them.

The earth beneath him trembled. Both he and Gryffindor felt to their knees, but the respite from the duel didn't last. Salazar struggled to his feet as fire erupted around him. Panting, he doused the flames but Gryffindor's next curse was already upon him. His heart compressed again and this time Gryffindor added pressure to his throat too.

Gasping, Salazar apparated ten feet to the left and attacked Gryffindor with a gravity spell. Gryffindor struggled to move his now heavy body and Salazar had a moment to breathe. The ground beneath them shook harder and cracks began to appear in the earth around them. This fight was getting dangerous.

Gathering his strength, Salazar sent out a grounding spell to attack Gryffindor from all sides. A beam collided with his foe who fell to the floor winded. Salazar watched him struggle to send a spell and then roar in frustration as it veered towards the ground.

"Sal!" Hermione's voice screamed out to him from the castle and he turned to see her running towards him. Why didn't she apparate?

He glanced back at Gryffindor but he was still seething on the floor. Gratefully he turned to Hermione.

"You forgot your potions!" She cried as she skidded to a stop next to him. He hands dug into her robes but before she could pull out the potions a hand was wrapped around her neck. Salazar's heart stopped momentarily.

Gryffindor let out a booming laugh and Salazar watched his hand tighten on Hermione's throat. Hermione caught his eye. She looked scared but determined and he saw her hand twitch in her robe pocket. He waited, knowing she was planning something and reluctant to get in her way.

"So this is the bitch that you claim?" Gryffindor ranted, he seemed unaware of Hermione's grasping hand. "She looks like Rowena."

A blue smoke coiled out of Hermione's pocket, obstructing her and Gryffindor from Salazar's view. He cursed. But then Hermione was by his side and Gryffindor was slumped on the floor, half unconscious.

The trembling of the earth reached fever pitch, the cracks spreading and causing deep trenches. A bright light appeared before them and Salazar had to shield his eyes with his hand. In the light two figures appeared, and as it dimmed Salazar recognized them. His heart leaped with joy.

"Rowena, Hegla!" He walked towards his old friends, certain that Gryffindor was no threat now.

Rowena was identical in height to Hermione and had the same hair and face. But where Hermione's eyes were a rich chocolate brown, Rowena's were bright blue. Rowena was Salazar's oldest friend. Helga was shorter, a good head shorter than Rowena. She had blond ringlets that fell to her waist and small mousy features. They had often disagreed in the past but they had been friends through it.

They laughed and embraced but when they pulled away both Rowena and Helga bore serious expressions. In sync, they glanced towards the slumped figure of Gryffindor on the ground.

"We've come to take both of you home. Ever since you travelled here the world has been ripping apart and it has become worse since Godric followed you." Rowena explained to Salazar.

He knew she didn't remember when she'd come through the veil at his trial, visitors of the veil never did- Gryffindor was the exception. She wouldn't have expected him to have forged a life here. And yet she was only proposing what he had already decided to do. The why did it feel so wrong?

A strangled scream sounded behind him and he turned to see Gryffindor, awake, holding Hermione by the throat. Panic enveloped him, the look of terror on Hermione's face increasing his own. Her face turned red, then purple.

He moved towards her but stopped when Gryffindor shook his head and increased the pressure on her throat. He stood helpless, the power inside him building to a fever pitch. He turned towards Rowena and Helga, who watched on impassively. What was one female to them?

Salazar's magic exploded from him, without purpose or direction. It formed a wave that swept over Hermione and Gryffindor. When it cleared, Hermione was stood shaking and Gryffindor was out cold on the floor.

"Mione." He called out in relief. He took a step towards her and stumbled. He suddenly felt weak, so weak.

He crashed to the floor panting for breath and trying to push back the darkness that was creeping into his vision. He couldn't stop it, couldn't even slow it and darkness came to him suddenly and completely.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ginny was jerked into consciousness by a sudden influx of power, Godric's power to be specific. She instantly felt terrified. If she had Godric's power then he was powerless and she knew it had been today he had decided to face Slytherin.

Ginny sat bolt upright in bed, ready to rush to Godric's side, but then a violent pain ripped through her abdomen and all she could do was scream. Her hands cradled her stomach as waves of pain rippled through her. She couldn't move, couldn't think, as her vision blurred and her voice cracked.

Eventually, after what seemed like years, the pain became almost bearable and Ginny managed to slide out the bed and on to the floor. Dressed only in the fire red teddy and matching thong that Godric had conjured for her, Ginny crawled out of the chamber and into the crypt of the church. Panting and trying to ignore the pain, she pulled herself up the stairs slowly and across the church.

Once outside, the frigid air attacked her but it was easy to ignore as she scraped the skin off her knees in her crawl through the graveyard. It must be early morning, she realised as the gate came into site, as the darkness was just beginning to lighten. That must mean that Harry was still at home, just at the end of the street.

She knew she shouldn't go to him for help, not after she'd left him without a word, but her strength was failing her and she needed someone. With the last of her strength, Ginny cast a patronus charm towards her old house and collapsed on the side of the road. Still conscious but immobilized, Ginny waited.

A shadowy figure came towards her, getting larger by the second until Harry emerged from the darkness, running to her side. Without a word he picked up her tender body and she bit her lip to stop from screaming out. As he jogged her home, Ginny could feel herself getting more and more lightheaded. She was going to faint if this lasted much longer…

But then they were entering the door and Harry was setting her down on the sofa that they used to snuggle on and bringing her hot chocolate. She tried to smile but the pain turned it into a grimace. And then she was sinking into unconsciousness where the pain she felt in her dreams was a mere shadow of the real thing.

When she woke, Ginny noticed the pain had lessened though it was still there. Harry, Ron and Hermione were gathered in the silent room, each looking away. She made a slight noise in the back of her throat and they turned towards her. She tried not to wince at the hostility shown in their eyes. She had thought that Ron, her brother, would have stood by her in this, but it appeared that he disapproved of her decisions as well. She struggled to sit up.

Hermione stood up and walked over to her. She bent low and whispered in Ginny's ear so that the boys couldn't hear. "Have you got Godric's magic?"

Ginny nodded her head slightly and gulped. Even with the extra magic, in her weakened state Ginny would be no match for Hermione. Hermione turned to face Harry and Ron.

"Could you two give us a minute to talk?" She asked and they left the room, barely glancing back at Ginny. "Do you know what's wrong with you?"

Ginny cleared her throat before replying with the negative. She had no idea why pain was coursing through her body as thoroughly as blood. She had no idea why she still had Godric's powers or why Hermione knew that. And she still had no idea where Godric was. She knew he was alive, he had to be or his magic would have dissipated, but she knew nothing else.

"You're pregnant. Normally I wouldn't be able to tell this early but all that extra magic in your body is making the baby grow at an alarming rate." Hermione's voice was cold, but the tone didn't register to Ginny as shock washed over her, eclipsing the pain.

She was pregnant? It had to be Godric's, that much Ginny was sure of. She was absolutely terrified- what she and Godric had was unstable at best and hardly an environment to raise a child in. And Ginny was sure that he intended to return to the past so the chances were she'd be raising this baby alone.

"Gin, are you listening? I'm going to make sure the magic doesn't hurt your baby, but I need you to come back to the castle with me. If I can't isolate Godric's magic from the baby, it could cause irreparable damage. There's some people at the castle who can help me do that if you trust me?" Hermione explained, and now that her shock has settled, Ginny could hear the underlying worry in Hermione's voice.

"Where is Godric?" She gasped out. She couldn't go anywhere until she knew he was okay. She knew she would go with Hermione- she had to do what was best for her baby- but not until she knew he was okay. Hermione's expression darkened.

"He and Sal are unconscious. They were duelling and then-" Hermione choked off on a sob and Ginny felt a stab of worry for them both. That was odd, she'd never cared for Slytherin before. They must be at the castle then, Ginny knew Hermione wouldn't leave his side for long periods. That made her decision; if she went to the castle then she would be near to Godric.

Ginny almost reached out a shaking arm to comfort Hermione before she remembered it wouldn't be welcome. She'd really fucked up this time. Even though she knew leaving Harry was best for them both, Ginny knew she had gone about it wrong. She'd jumped on the excuse that Godric was her idol to leave the world she resented behind. She didn't like how Harry had wanted to get hitched and start a family straight away but she had run with it, afraid of losing him.

Only this life hadn't been everything she wanted. There was no adventure and excitement. There was no travelling across the world to foreign countries and experiencing other cultures. Instead she settled into a routing job and raised her kids and acted perfectly Stepford.

"I'll go with you." Ginny croaked out, struggling to pull herself into a sitting position. Hermione nodded and helped her to stand.

"I'll go tell the boys we're leaving." Hermione left the room and Ginny stared around at the house she'd used to live in.

The mantelpiece was full of photos of the kids and their extended family. Kids she loved but hadn't been ready for and hadn't made time for. She hoped she'd still be able to see them when this was all over. She knew Harry would have custody- he was too great a dad to ever take his kids from him. With a sigh, Ginny said goodbye to the house because she had this feeling in the pit of her stomach that she would never be coming back here.

Hermione re-entered the room then and helped Ginny over to the fireplace and, with a last look around, Ginny left Godric's Hollow for the last time.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hermione's days seemed never-ending as she continued her duties as headmistress at Hogwarts, tried to separate Godric's magic from Ginny's baby and continued to research Salazar's tomes of potions and spells for anything that might lift the magical coma from Salazar and Godric. She would wake early in the morning and work nonstop until the early hours of the next morning before tumbling into bed exhausted but unable to sleep. She was restless and jumpy and her magic- still magnified by Salazar's- was unpredictable at best. If things didn't change soon, Hermione didn't know what she would do.

Today she sat, as she did every day whenever she didn't have other duties to attend to, in the library in the Chamber of Secrets with a thick, heavy book in her lap. The words on the pages were blurred and she was reading everything three times without it sinking in.

"Come on, give me something." Hermione begged, sinking her hands into her hair and groaning in desperation.

"Hermione, can I come in?" Draco's voice sounded as he opened the door and peaked in. She quickly swiped the back of her hand across her eyes before looking up.

Draco had been such a help to her these last weeks. When Hermione had brought Ginny to the castle almost three weeks ago now, Draco had instantly focussed his attentions on saving the baby. As well as that, he had acted as the go-between for Hermione and Rowena and Helga as Hermione was finding it difficult to deal with the two women.

"Of course, Draco." Hermione sniffed as she closed the heavy book and turned towards him. She gestured towards another chair and he took it. She sat silently, knowing that he had something he wanted to say. Eventually he cleared his throat and sat up straighter.

"Hermione, we're all getting worried about you. Harry and Ron say that you haven't owled them in a fortnight and unless it's for school business, we never see you. You haven't even visited Salazar in a few days. I think you need to take a break."

Hermione's anger instantly surfaced. How dare Draco tell her to take a break at a time like this. Her soul mate, the other half of her, was stuck in a coma and she had his immense power coursing through her veins and causing her magic to explode from her at the slightest provocation. She could already feel it itching to cause the sconce on the wall to explode into a shower of sparks that would set the bookcases alight.

"I am not going to take a break, Draco." Her voice was colder than she ever remembered it being and she could feel the bookcases vibrating slightly with her anger. "Sometimes I wish there were two of me, yes, but there is not and I will just have to get on with it."

Draco didn't answer, but jumped to his feet. His face was bright with excitement and his eyes fevered.

"Hermione, that's it! If there was two of Ginny then one could have the baby and one Godric's magic. Think about it- it won't leave her but we can make the baby leave it!"

Hermione also jumped to her feet. Creating a double was easy. But they couldn't double the baby and they couldn't double magic that didn't belong to the host- it was the perfect solution. This was it- one of their problems was solved. She grabbed Draco's arms and pulled him out of the library and down the corridor to Salazar's potion room.

Once inside, she headed over to yet another large and ancient tome and cast a quick spell to find the page she needed. She turned to Draco, beaming. "This is it. Look, it's a simple enough potion to brew and it should only take a few hours."

Without thinking, Hermione started gathering the ingredients that she would need until Draco stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Mione, I'm the potions master here. Move over."

He lightly nudged her out of the way with his hip and started shredding purple emperor wings.

"At least let me help," she muttered as she moved to another section of the bench. With a small smile he handed her a unicorn horn to grate and she set to work.

Four hours later they were both covered in sweat and smiling. The potion had reached a deep purple colour and was bubbling gently. It was ready.

Hermione handed Draco a conical flask and he filled it with the potion. They exited the Chamber of Secrets in a rush and headed to the hospital wing. It was more crowded than Hermione had ever seen it with Ginny, all four of the founders and various specialists that had been enlisted. All heads turned towards them as they entered.

Hermione went straight over to Ginny's bed. Gin was, as she almost always was, curled into the foetal position clutching her stomach. They couldn't stop the pain she was in, only dim it, and it worsened every day.

"Gin, we think we've got something." Hermione whispered so the founders couldn't hear. "If we create a double of you, we can transfer the baby over to it where Godric's magic can't reach it."

Ginny struggled to sit up and gazed suspiciously at Hermione. "But then it wouldn't be my baby."

Hermione frowned. "It would. As soon as we can remove Godric's magic from you then we'll transfer it back. The copy will be the same as you, with the same thoughts and memories until it is created. It's what is best for the baby, Gin, and you won't have to feel all this pain."

After a long pause, Ginny bit her lip and nodded.

Draco brought over the potion and handed it to Ginny with a reassuring squeeze of her hand. Hermione watched as Ginny drank deeply and set down the empty flask on the bedside table. Her face twisted in a grimace.

Then, with a loud pop, an identical twin of Ginny appeared standing next to the bed. Hermione let out a sigh of relief and turned to Draco.

"Now for the easy part. You do Ginny, I'll do the clone." She proposed and, with a nod from Draco, she turned towards the doppelganger and withdrew her wand. "This won't hurt."

In sync with Draco, Hermione chanted an ancient spell that she couldn't translate but had memorized instead. The room glowed yellow and silence had fallen over the onlookers. When the spell was finished, the doppelganger now sported a baby bump and both were free from pain.

Ginny stood and threw her arms around first Draco and then Hermione. Then she turned to the doppelganger.

"Hello." They both spoke in unison in the exact same tone and pitch. It gave Hermione chills.

The doppelganger placed a reassuring hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll take care of the baby. But I should use a different name to avoid confusion."

Relief broke across Ginny's face. "Thank you. Why don't we call you Anna? I've always liked that name."

"Then Anna I shall be." The Doppelganger smiled.

A weight had been lifted off of Hermione's mind, but as she turned to look at Salazar for the first time in days she felt an overwhelming flood of guilt. She had helped Ginny but she hadn't managed to help him. She walked to his side and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Brushing his hair from his eyes she whispered to him that she would never stop searching for a way to bring him back. Never.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: penultimate chapter guys. I will try and post the last later this week. Cheers to everyone who had read and reviewed this

Chapter 9

"Hermione, come on. You haven't eaten in days, haven't slept in days, please take a break." She ignored Harry, turning another page in the book she was skimming without looking up.

She was settled on a comfy arm chair (which had been a hard wooden one until she had transfigured it) with a blanket over her waist and her feet propped up on Salazar's bed. Harry was right- she had only left Salazar's side for bathroom breaks over the last four days. She was faint with hunger but she wouldn't leave his side until she could find a way to fix him.

"Mione, listen to Harry. You're just going to make yourself ill." Ron's voice chimed in. So he was here too? Hermione was willing to bet that Draco had called them in when he had failed to get through to her. Sure enough…

"Granger, that's enough." Draco snapped at her. He grabbed the book from her hands and threw it on the bed.

She looked up at him and crossed her arms. "I'm not leaving him alone."

Draco looked around the hospital wing and then back at her with an expression that said he thought she was crazy. "Granger, he's not even slightly alone. Gryffindor is right over there and Hufflepuff and Rowena visit every day. Nothing will go wrong if you take a break and get some rest."

She pursed her lips in annoyance. She hated it when he mentioned the founders. They wanted to take both Salazar and Gryffindor back home and the idea wasn't up for discussion. They needed him back in the past and they didn't care how much Hermione wanted him here- how much _she _needed him.

"I don't like them visiting him. I want him moved into the Chamber of Secrets." She snapped irrationally. She knew she was being ridiculous but she didn't like that their presence were a constant reminder of their plans. He was not going back to the past without her.

"Hermione-" Harry started but he was cut off by Draco.

"No let her rant Harry. It's not like they're trying to help save him or anything. Do you think you're the only one busting their ass to help them? You're not. I'm trying, Helga is trying and Rowena is trying. We're all discussing ideas and trying to follow up leads while you wallow and refuse to leave your books long enough to talk to anyone." Draco ranted at her, his voice getting louder and louder until the whole Hospital Wing was staring at them avidly.

Hermione's temper snapped. She stood in a fluid motion. "Fine, I'm being unreasonable. Do you think that I don't know that? The love of my life is lying in a coma because I have his magic and it won't leave me to return to him. I can't sleep and I can't eat knowing that it is my fault that he is here."

She paused to take a breath and glared at all three of them. Harry and Ron looked chastised but Draco's face was still curled in disapproval. She wanted to rant and rave at them all but she was disturbing the other patients and the concern on Ginny's face was painfully obvious. Ginny alone knew how she felt but nobody was demanding that she pull herself together. Hermione couldn't take this. She needed to get away from them all.

She latched her hand on Salazar's arm and flashed them to the Chamber of Secrets. As he flopped on the bed, she placed the strongest wards she could conjure around the chamber. Nobody would be able to enter without her permission now.

She turned to Salazar and tucked him into bed, fussing at the quilt to ignore the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. He didn't look in pain, she thought as she smoothed his brow with her palm, but neither did he look at peace. He just looked blank.

With a restrained sob, she crawled into the bed with him and rested her head on his chest. She knew she should be researching but she couldn't bear to leave the bed now that she was with him. If she shut her eyes, maybe she could pretend that this was just another day where she had woken before him.

"I miss you." Her voice caught as she whispered to him, knowing he wouldn't- couldn't- answer.

Safe in his arms, she drifted into sleep for the first time in four days.

"Mione." The whisper sounded in her ear as her dream formed into a grassy hill that overlooked a dark blue lake.

She turned as strong arms banded around her waist and pulled her closer. She melted into the embrace, the hard plane of his chest more familiar to her than anything else.

"Salazar, is it really you?"

He lightly chuckled in her ear and she knew it was him. That laugh spread goose bumps all over her body and affected her more than anyone else ever could. She could pick that laugh out in a crowded room full of people.

She reached up and met his lips with her own. His tongue mingled with hers in a fiery duel and she fisted her hands in his hair to hold him closer. She put all of her pent up emotions into their kiss: her misery, her anger, her despair and he met it with his own desperation. No kiss, even with him, had ever felt this intimate. In this instant her entire soul was bared to him in a way she had never allowed before.

Yes she loved him and had given him everything she could, but there had always been a part of her that was scared she would lose who she truly was if she gave him too much, if there was nothing left for her. But in this moment, her fear of losing him was greater than her fear of losing herself.

She pulled back and gasped for air and he took advantage of that to kiss to her ear and nibble on the sensitive lobe. Her breaths hitched as he tongued that sensitive spot that he knew drove her wild. She needed to be even closer to him in this moment. She needed to be as close to him as she could physically get.

Their clothes vanished as her dream strove to accommodate her and she saw his face flash with disappointment.

"I know you love me to strip for you, but not tonight. We don't have time- I could wake at any moment and I need to be with you before I do." She met his gaze and saw as white hot passion slashed in his eyes, erasing his doubts.

"You can make it up to me when _I _wake up." His deep voice caused another round of shivers and she once more closed the distance between them.

Her hands roamed over his bare chest, leaving red marks where her nails had been. He was pure perfection with those muscles and light dusting of hair which thickened under his navel travelled to his hardened cock. Oh how she would savour this body if she ever managed to bring him out of his coma. She would lick and bite and touch every delicious inch of him when she could. But right now, knowing she was a light sleeper and could wake at any point, she needed him deep inside her.

She tugged on his arm and lowered herself to the ground. The soft grass was cool against her back but she warmed as he laid himself over her and kissed her blind again. Her hands moved around to his arse and she tried to tug his hips into hers. He resisted for a moment, unused to the lack of foreplay, before his resistance shattered and he slammed into her in a hard, smooth stroke.

She cried out as he filled her and bucked her hips against his. But he kept his pace torturously slow as he teased her with measured thrusts. She growled and rolled him over so she was on top. He groaned in approval and a smirk lit up her lips- she knew he loved it when she took the lead.

Digging her nails into his solid chest, she moved against him forcefully and swiftly, never taking her gaze from his shuttered eyes. He moved a hand to rub slow, firm circles on her clit and she let out a jagged moan of pleasure at the contrast of paces.

He always knew how to drive her wild and was always coming up with new ways to do so. His spontaneity was one of the things she loved most about him but that list was too long to remember with the pleasure racking through her body right now and pushing her to the edge where she was so close to completion it was almost painful.

Grabbing her neck, he pulled her down for another kiss- this one laced with desperation- and rolled them so he was again on top. A blinding orgasm swept through her body and had her gasping his name as her body tightened against him. Her gasp undid him and he followed her into that perfect moment of contentment, holding her tight in his arms.

For minutes neither of them spoke. Hermione was too busy tracing lazy circles over his chest to remember what was wrong with the world and she could tell Salazar was preoccupied as well. Eventually though, she remembered that the rest of the world existed and that he wasn't really with her.

"Just a dream," she reminded herself. "Tell me how to help you."

He sighed at her words. "I can't. You're too worried that you will lose me to ever truly want to release my magic. It's not a magical solution you need, you need to trust that I'll be okay and then my magic will leave you."

It sounded so simple but she wondered if she ever could do it. It would be easier to give up her own magic than his- it was all she had left of him while he was comatose, but he wouldn't wake until she gave it back and now he had given her the answer she needed.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here it is: the final chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing guys.

Chapter 10

Hermione sat up in bed, wide awake. She could remember her dream with a vivid clarity and knew immediately what she had to do. Salazar had said she didn't really want to let his magic go but Hermione was a witch and there was a simple solution that could fix that. A potion so simple she had overlooked it when considering the problem.

Similar to love potions, other potions existed to incite other emotions: happiness, depression, madness, to name just a few. Of course, they weren't ministry approved, but Hermione wouldn't let that stop her. Sal was worth breaking the law for.

She apparated into the potions room in the chamber and checked her stores. She didn't have any reserves of trust left, but no matter, it would take less than a day to brew.

As the day passed, Hermione lost track of time. She didn't stop to eat or rest as she worked on the potion. Occasionally she would feel someone attempting to break through her protective barriers, but she ignored them- the rest of the world could wait. Eventually, when her hair had frizzed beyond control from the fumes and sweat coated her forehead and neck, the potion was ready.

Dark blue and creamy in colour and texture, the potion shimmered with an ethereal light. Hermione checked the black market potions book that contained the formula and was satisfied that the results were perfect. With trembling hands, she scooped out a mouthful of the glistening liquid and drank it down.

A hot tingling spread down Hermione's throat and around her body. With it came the ease of tension that she hadn't even known she'd been carrying. Her body relaxed so suddenly that she almost fell to the floor and she had to hold the desk to steady herself.

If the potion had worked all she now had to do was to focus on sending Sal's magic back to him. Walking on unsteady legs, she made her way to the bedroom and knelt on the floor beside his head. She cupped his cheek with her hand and focussed on the magic inside of herself.

The force of the combined magic sent another wave of tingles over her body and she concentrated on sending it through her body, along her arm and into Sal. It was working! Her breathing turned shallower and her head began to feel lighter. As his eyes fluttered open, her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped on to the floor.

Not quite unconscious, she felt his heavy arms band around her as he called her name. He was awake! But she didn't know how long she would be as the blackness closed around her and threatened to drown her.

"Fight it, Mione." He growled in her ear, shaking her shoulders roughly.

Her eyelids flickered open and tried to close again, but at the sight of Salazar awake she somehow managed to ground herself. She felt so powerless- after weeks of having his magic combined with hers, her own seemed laughable in comparison.

She groaned as she sat up slowly, trying to dispel her dizziness. "You're awake."

He chuckled at her. "Nothing escapes you."

Slowly standing, she shot him a teasing glance. "I'm a smart cookie alrightHe."

His face turned serious, eyes darkening. "You are. Thank you for saving me."

She embraced him, holding him close. He fisted her hair as he held her and sighed in contentment. Hermione had never felt so close to him- they'd never spent time apart and had the chance for a reunion- and she knew in that moment that she hadn't managed to hold a single piece of herself back from him. He owned her heart, body and soul and she couldn't make herself regret it.

_I feel the same way about you. You _are _my heart and soul._

Hermione started at his voice in her head. She had forgotten how intense it was to have this mind link, how he could hear stray thoughts as if they were his own. How had she gone without this?

"I remember Rowena and Helga appearing during the fight." Salazar said slowly, as if he couldn't believe he hadn't mentioned it instantly.

Hermione's jealousy flared. Mere minutes after waking he decided to mention the two people guaranteed to dampen her happiness. They wanted to take him back to the past, had solid reasoning to do so and Hermione was worried he'd let them.

"Yes, they're here." She snapped, storming from the room to retrieve some potion for Ginny.

Salazar trailed after her, unsure of the reason behind her anger. Did she have a quarrel with his friends? He had assumed that she and Rowena would get on like a house on fire, they were so similar. After all, Salazar had a sneaking suspicion that Hermione was a very distant relative of Rowena- all muggleborns were descendant of magical families.

He caught up to her in the potions room where she gripped his arm without a word and apparated them to the Hospital Wing. He watched as she handed Ginny a navy blue potion without a word.

The Hospital Wing was empty but for the three of them and Gryffindor who was unconscious on a bed. Sal's anger and hatred rose at Gryffindor's presence but he didn't attack, not even when Gryffindor began to stir. A loud gasp from behind him drew his attention.

Rowena and Helga had entered the room through the large double doors and their eyes had widened when they had seen he was awake.

"Salazar!" Rowena cried, running to him and throwing her arms around him.

He heard Hermione's growl of anger in his head and turned towards her. She wouldn't meet his gaze but instead walked over to Ginny and Gryffindor. He almost growled at her for being so close to his enemy but managed to contain himself. He extracted himself from Rowena's arms.

"You're awake! How did you manage it? Never mind, you can tell us when we return home. The longer we're here, the more off balance the world becomes." Rowena rambled.

Then her words sunk in: _when we return home._

That was the reason for Hermione's anger. Rowena intended to take him back to the past and away from Hermione. But Salazar wouldn't leave Hermione here. If he had to go back he would take her with him.

_I'm not going. My students are here and I won't leave my friends. _Her tone was harsh as her words snapped in his head.

Disbelief overwhelmed him. She didn't love him enough to stay with him? He would give her the world if he could. He would give up everyone he'd ever met to stay by her side. He had given them up- he'd stopped trying to get back to the past mere days after he had found himself trapped here. She was too important to him.

He watched as she stalked out the room. _Don't follow me. _

Well he wouldn't defy her wishes this time.

X x X

Hermione couldn't stay away from him. If he was going, she needed to tell him goodbye. She needed to tell him that she loved him. She needed to tell him that she would go with him if he would just let her.

She apparated from the Head's library to the Great Hall before she could chicken out. The four founders stood alone in the centre of the hall, the tables pushed roughly to the side. Salazar was facing her with no expression on his face.

"Sal, wait!" She cried. She tried to reach out to him with her mind but he had her completely blocked. "I'm sorry. Take me with you."

His face didn't soften as she'd expected. He didn't hold out his arms for her to run into either. In fact, he didn't soften towards her at all. She stopped short in surprise. But she couldn't let him go without a fight. Damn it, she didn't want them to be separated ever again. Slowly she closed the distance between them.

Before she could speak, he dipped a hand into his deep green robes and pulled out an envelope addressed to her. He hand it over to her silently until she tried to open it. "Not until I've gone. Promise me."

Tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. But she couldn't deny him anything, not even this. "I promise."

Nodding, he stepped back into the circle of founders who stared at her emotionlessly. She hated them all for it and for taking him away from her. But if this was what he wanted then she wouldn't stop him. Her tears fell harder as they began chanting in Latin. Before she could choke out one last goodbye they were gone and she was alone.

Sniffling, she sat on the floor and opened the letter with trembling hands. The smell of the parchment soothed her only slightly and it took a moment for the words to make sense to her.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I have used the Polyjuice potion to switch places with Salazar and to travel back to the past with Godric. Godric and Salazar have sworn an unbreakable vow not to attempt to hurt each other anymore. They needed four to return to the past as four had come to the future- the balance needed to be kept._

_I could not take my child- the trip may have damaged him/ her and I would not risk that. Anna has promised that my child will be well cared for and I know I can trust you to do the same. I fear that Godric and I would have made terrible parents anyway- neither of us are ready for that kind of commitment yet._

_I am sorry for my part in all this ugliness and, even though I know I don't deserve it, I hope you can find it in you to forgive me. If you could make sure Harry knows how sorry I am for walking out on him I would be grateful. I will miss you and all my family terribly but I cannot live with Godric anymore than you could live without Salazar._

_Love Ginny._

"Hermione?" Salazar's voice echoed around the large hall, stirring her from her shock as she struggled to process what she had just read.

Ginny had left with Godric and Salazar was still here- Hermione couldn't believe it. It almost seemed too perfect to be true. She turned towards him with a large smile on her face and tears of relief in her eyes.

"You stayed." Hermione's voice was breathless as she ran into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her so tight she thought her ribs might crack but she wouldn't have allowed him to gentle the embrace. Her relieved sobs wracked her body as Salazar soothed her with his hand rubbing gentle circles on her back.

"It's okay baby, I'm going nowhere." He soothed. "I love you too much."

"I love you too!" She choked out, sliding her feet to the floor and lacing her fingers with his. She offered him a smile as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with her spare hand. Gryffindor had returned to where he couldn't hurt them. It was all over.


End file.
